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After making his last public appearance on Easter Sunday in St Peter’s Square, Pope Francis died the next day at the age of 88. As head of the Catholic church, his appeal went far beyond those within his congregation. Many appreciated his views on the environment, his calls for ending poverty and inequality and for his compassionate approach to the papacy.
Here, people from around the world recall their memories of the pontiff and pay tribute ahead of the conclave to choose his successor.
‘His visit to refugees in Lesbos says everything about him’
I’m a lapsed Catholic and Francis was an inspiration to people like me. He was prepared to stand up to the conservative, unforgiving elements of the church and also to politicians. His clear love for all individuals, including the poorest, was inspiring. He clearly made mistakes because he was fallible like all humans. I think some progressives expected too much, taking into account the environment in which he was working. His visit to refugees in Lesbos says everything about him.
I feel I’ve lost someone close to me. I wish he could have lived much longer to deliver much more needed change, but we must appreciate everything he did and celebrate that. Sadly I think there will be external influences on many cardinals with voting rights, from the US and conservative-minded countries elsewhere, resulting in a much less compassionate pope. I truly hope I am wrong. Amanda, Suffolk
I was 24 and living in Buenos Aires, where Jorge Bergoglio is from, when he was elected pope in 2013. When I heard the news, I walked straight out of my flat with almost no premeditation and headed down to the metropolitan cathedral to see what might be going on. Initially, the answer was nothing much – the news had clearly caught people (including the cathedral authorities) unawares. I walked right to the front and took up a speculative spot near the altar.
Over the next few hours, the cathedral slowly began to fill up with first hundreds, then thousands, of people. My strategic spot up at the front began to seem unwise as I started to wonder how I was ever going to get out! By the time I eventually emerged, there were news crews everywhere outside and a most extraordinary atmosphere reigned. I am not religious, but I shall never forget it. Maya Feile Tomes, lecturer in Latin American studies at the University of Glasgow
‘His time as pope has been a gift the world needed’
I’m not a Catholic but I have just arrived in Rome and will be at the Vatican with a heavy heart. Pope Francis was a hero to all who believe that people can, and must be, much better in carrying out the teachings of Jesus. He believed in inclusiveness, stood up to bullies, spoke truth to power and was a shining example of a truly good person. When he became pope, he said he did not think he would live long. These 12 years have been a gift the world needed. Kevin, Hawaii, US
‘I took two victims of abuse to meet him’
In 2015 in my role as chair of the National Catholic Safeguarding Commission for England and Wales I was asked to take two victims of abuse to meet Pope Francis in the Vatican. We stayed with him at Casa Santa Marta where he lived and we were joined by two victims from Ireland and Germany. Pope Francis said mass for the victims and those with him in the small chapel there. I was asked to serve mass in my civvies, which was highly unusual and he made a point of thanking me after it. He met the two victims I accompanied, individually, totally disregarding his minders and his timetable. It was a unique experience. Danny Sullivan, 75, Hampshire
‘I’m a Muslim and he was my inspiration’
He was a unique person who inspired Catholics and non-Catholics. I’m a Muslim and Pope Francis was my inspiration. He is a role model on how religious leaders should be. Unfortunately, nowadays such leaders don’t exist. Enesa, Bosnia and Herzegovina
‘His papacy made me feel I could (almost) re-enter the fold’
As a lapsed Catholic, Francis’s papacy was the thing that made me feel I could (almost) re-enter the fold. His progressive stances on capitalism and the climate crisis, and his ongoing support for people in Gaza, represent all that Christianity should be. And for me, as a member of the LGBT community, his views on gay rights, while far from perfect, gave me hope that a more forward-thinking and inclusive church was possible. Lydia, London
‘The image of him washing the feet of the parties during the South Sudanese peace talks will stay with me for ever’
I thank him for drawing attention to Africa and to the plight of refugees and migrants all over the world. I also thank him for appointing a cardinal from Ethiopia. The image of Pope Francis kneeling down to wash the feet of the parties to the South Sudanese peace negotiations will stay with me for ever. Tarikua Getachew, 43, human rights lawyer, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
‘He threw his notes in the air and started speaking Spanish – people were ecstatic’
I was a volunteer during the 2016 World Youth Day in Kraków. During the meeting with volunteers, which we waited for the whole week, the pope started reading the text that he had prepared for us in English. Perhaps because of the energy and cheerfulness of all the young people who gathered there, at some point he threw his notes in the air and started speaking Spanish. After this, many volunteers from Latin America and Latin language countries became ecstatic. I didn’t understand Spanish, which made me a little disappointed, but soon after the happy atmosphere was passed on to others too. The pope felt visibly more spontaneous and at ease, making eye contact and cheering everyone up. It’s a beautiful memory. Robert, Poland
‘He transmitted a real feeling of decency’
The atheist that I am will miss this good-humoured, smiling, generous, intellectually clever and outspoken pope who preferred modesty to glamour and honours. I also appreciated his sense of mercy and ecumenical spirit. He transmitted a real feeling of decency and sincerity. He even enjoyed football! Maria, Portugal
‘His smile never ceased to give me goosebumps’
He was the pope of the poor and impoverished and left his mark as a progressive whose leadership enhanced the Catholic church’s appreciation of modern day changes and developments. I saw him numerous times when he came to Manila in 2015. I was very fortunate to get within a few feet of him, and each time I saw him he had that smile that never ceased to give me goosebumps. A very spiritual experience I will cherish all my life. I’m Filipino so naturally I’m rooting for Cardinal Tagle. Hopefully he becomes the first Asian pope. It’s time to have someone from the largest Catholic nation in Asia sit in the Vatican and lead the flock. Dick, the Philippines
‘Like secular monarchs, he knew that popes must be seen to be believed’
One of the great paradoxes of Pope Francis is that the more he embodied humility, the more intensely people seemed to idolise him. He eschewed luxurious papal vestments, downplayed clerical hierarchies and emphasised human equality. Yet these very same acts made him into an object of reverence, drawing countless followers who saw in Francis a true messenger of God. Pope Francis intuitively understood that religious authority is most compelling when moral principles are lived out rather than merely proclaimed. For example, he would often halt his papal escort unexpectedly to bless a disabled child or comfort an ailing elder. These unscripted gestures lent his papacy an authenticity that resonated deeply and was impossible to ignore. Like secular monarchs, he knew that popes must be seen to be believed. Armandas Kondroska, 23, enlisted in the military for national service, Lithuania
‘It was as if he was there with us in hospital’
I never met Pope Francis in person. But he has had a profound effect on me spiritually and professionally. When I became a full-time hospital chaplain nearly a decade ago, I took inspiration from him in finding meaning and joy in service of the most vulnerable. On 27 March 2020, I watched him on a small screen from the ICU unit of my hospital. He imparted an extraordinary Urbi et Orbi blessing on that day and it was as if he were there with us in the hospital. Not just that day but every day to come. At all the unattended deaths. Through all the loss and fear. The memory of him alone in the square praying for us, for the world, will be in my heart for ever. Elizabeth Grainger, 50, hospital chaplain, Claremont, California
‘He’s allowed a 2,000-year-old institution to remain steadfast in a world where change is destiny’
Early in my childhood I was pondering whether to choose a life as a clergyman or pursue a career in public service. I picked the second because at nine years old I thought that a non-European would never be chosen to be pope. Why then, I thought, should I devote my life to an institution if I was considered second class? That was 20-plus years ago. Francis changed that. Francis is the kind of maverick that instills change and life that allows a 2,000-year-old institution to remain steadfast in a world where change is destiny. Thank you Francis, you broke nearly 1,300 years of European exclusivity in the papacy. Genis, Mexico
